Did Santa arrive on time?

Melissa Sandfort

I know I said I’d only post about holiday ornaments and decorations before Christmas but what’s two extra days after? I hope all of you had a blessed, safe holiday. Our son was thrilled when he saw Santa had eaten the cookie we left out and that the commercials he’d seen weren’t true – there was still room in the stocking for gifts from Santa.

So on one final holiday note, here’s a German-made Santa that my grandmother has. It’s probably around 80 years old as well. I asked about the significance and I guess back in the early 1900s Germany was a large toy-making country.

To me, he looks a little like a gnome but maybe that was Germany’s take on the bearded man. And he looks a little cranky. But after squeezing down dirty fireplaces all night, I’d be cranky too. Ah, to believe in the magic of Christmas. That’s what having children has taught me – to believe in magic, that you’re never too old to imagine, and that dreams do come true.

Until we walk again …

Uncategorized

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Osborn & Barr is strengthening its digital and creative teams with five new additions: Julia Edwards, Matthew Tornetto, Ekkachai Danwanichakul, Britton Clapp and Jim McWilliams.
  • Swanson Russell announces the promotion of Jason Schmaderer to vice president/account supervisor. With the promotion, Schmaderer becomes an officer of Swanson Russell.
  • Syngenta announced that the EPA has granted registration approval for Zemax herbicide.
  • Swanson Russell announces the hire of Shanna Austin, Kathleen Divine, Ryan Larsen, Dave Markes and Taryn Vasa.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Rhea + Kaiser A Year Later

    Chuck Zimmerman

    ZimmCast 332It was just over a year ago that I started doing a series of interviews with the leadership at agricultural agencies. I started out with Diane Martin, President/CEO, Rhea + Kaiser and thought it very appropriate to talk with her again to see how things have been going at the agency.

    To start off, Diane says that things are going well with the celebration this year of a couple of milestones with various clients like GROWMARK – 30 years and Bayer at 26 years. Another development is the agency diversification into different industries like construction equipment and higher education. Diane says they’ve also been going through a cultural revolution internally. One example is a renewed effort to liven up client presentations so they become more enjoyable and educational.

    There are a number of additional changes that have taken place at the agency during the last year. To learn more about them listen in on my conversation with Diane: Rhea + Kaiser a Year Later

    Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

    The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

    Agencies, Audio, ZimmCast

    MaxVisor Provides Personal Grain Market Consulting

    Cindy Zimmerman

    growmarkIt’s that time of the year when many of us are looking back at the past year and ahead to the new year, especially when it comes to our finances. Farmers who are making a New Years resolution to consider options for managing risk should check out MaxVisor for consulting with a personal touch.

    “It is sit down, one on one with that farmer and make recommendations that fit that producer’s risk tolerance, risk profile and needs at that time,” said Cory Winstead, Senior MaxVisor Representative.

    growmarkMaxVisor is a service of AgriVisor, an agricultural advisory firm that is part of the GROWMARK family of companies. “We have multiple different silos, or bins, that are part of AgriVisor,” Cory says, from research and pricing strategies, to crop insurance and brokerages service relationships. MaxVisor specifically includes hedge accounting and professional services with timely and frequent communications updates by email, text and audio reports.

    Cory says AgriVisor is owned 51% by GROWMARK and 49% by Illinois Farm Bureau, but anyone can take advantage of their services. “You don’t need to be a GROWMARK customer, or an FS customer – you don’t even need to be a Farm Bureau member to be a part of us. If you’re a farmer who has some needs or questions about the market – that’s what we’re here for.” Cory adds that they have customers from Ohio to Kansas, and Canada to Alabama.

    To find out more about MaxVisor, Cory says there is a link on the side bar of the AgriVisor home page that takes you to a free trial sign up page – no risk, no obligation – just to check it out. What do you have to lose?

    Find out more about MaxVisor in my interview with Cory here: Cory Winstead Interview

    Audio, Farming, GROWMARK

    Happy Holidays From VeriCorder Technology

    Chuck Zimmerman

    So you’re still wondering what to get your favorite farm podcaster? How about some happy holiday discounts from VeriCorder Technology. They’re offering 50% off apps until Dec. 31, 2011.

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from VeriCorder Technology

    Equipment

    What happened to the Mrs.?

    Melissa Sandfort

    Growing up, we always had a Santa and Mrs. Claus sitting on the coffee table. They were handmade out of fan-folded painted newspaper, felt strips and cotton balls. Thinking back, I’m glad we had the happy couple – Santa does all the hard work delivering the presents but who do you think keeps Santa jolly the rest of the year?

    When my grandmother was younger, she and her brother had these cardboard Santas, so they’re aging in at 80 as well. This is definitely a toy to play with gently – one bad fall off a slippery roof and Santa would be missing a mid-section!

    I’m sure these were handmade and over the years, they’ve had a few “improvements” and fixes.

    3 days and counting!

    Until we walk again …

    Uncategorized

    FarmChat.com Is Now Live

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The Global Auction Guide Media Group family is growing. My friend, Dwayne Leslie, just sent this announcement.

    After several years of planning we are proud to announce that www.FarmChat.com is now live and available to farmers to interact with other farmers.

    FarmChat.com is a sister site to FarmAuctionGuide.com, AgClassifieds.com and PrairieLinks.com.

    Dwayne Leslie, the founder of this network and an Internet entrepreneur for over 15 years, felt that this was the right time to launch a new site.

    “As an active farmer and forum participant, we have seen the quality of other ag forums stagnate over the past few years” says Leslie. “There are so many new features that allow farmers to customize their experience and allow easy sharing of videos, photos and Twitter and Facebook feeds.”

    The first thing farmers will notice is that the Combine Talk Show has been brought back to life. As one of the oldest ag forums online at Harvesting.com, the Combine Talk Show is full of evergreen information about combines, settings, and problem solving. This huge database of information has been upgraded and integrated into the FarmChat.com website. Users will once again be able to easily search for past answers and interact with new questions about Combines and Harvesting Equipment in the 20,000 threads and 125,000 posts that go back as early as 1997.

    Unique Twitter integration also allows farmers to be immediately notified every time there is a new thread started. You can follow the new site on Twitter @farmchat

    FarmChat.Com is also looking to work with other forums, ag websites and media companies to make for a better user experience and build the largest database of content for farmers.

    Dwayne Leslie can be contacted at dwayne@farmauctionguide.com or @ 204-267-2730.

    Agribusiness

    Seasons Greetings From Gibbs & Soell

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I’m not getting tired of these seasons greetings. Hope you’re not either. This one comes from our friends at Gibbs & Soell.


    Seasons greetings from everyone at Gibbs & Soell. As we look back on our 40th anniversary we are grateful to our clients, employees and friends whose support makes our existence possible. We salute everyone who helped celebrate this milestone by giving back. Please visit our Facebook page to read our stories.

    Agencies